James b



J. B. RYAN. BED BOTTOM.

Patented June 14, 1898.

(No Model.)

ATTORNEY INVENTOR 0 0 m u M 0 4 0 0 0 w w w r 40104000004040 :0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0, fi0 0 0 fi0nfi w 0 0N0M00 0 0000n0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000000000000000m.0000000u0N0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.30 k0 0w0w0w0 0 0 0 Q WITNESSES U ITED STATES PATENT Qrrrcn.

JAMES B. RYAN, or New YORK, N. Y.

BED-BOTTOM.

sPEcIFrcArroN forming part of Letters went lvqeoacso, dated dune 14,1,898. l v v Application filed July 1,1i397. Serial No. 643,175. (Nomodel.) I

To all whom it may concern).- 7

Be it known that 1-,JAMES B. RYAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at the city of New York, countyand State of New York,have invented anew and useful Im provement in BedBottom's,. of which thefollowing is a specification.

My inventionrelates to improvements in bed-bottoms, and particularly mumclass of bed-bottoms in which woven-wire fabric forms the chiefelementof the primary pressure plane. It is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, referred to herein, like letters referring tolike parts in each figure thereof. i i

In thesaid drawings, Figure '1 is a plan view of a bed-bottom embodyingmy invention. Fig. 2 is a modification of the same. Figs. 3 and 4 aremodifications.

A represents the frame of "the bed, upon which the woven-wire fabric 13'is stretched.

O are elastic wire cables, such as are. com: monly used in the trade,having their two ends secured to the end rail A of the frame either ator near the ends ofthesaid rail or. having one end connected to the endthereof and the other secured at or near the middle. These cables extendabout half-way of the length of the bed and are disposed in a V shapeunder hooks are preferably of an' S shape orother bent or curved form,so as to possess a certain amount of elasticity, forming a non-rigidconnection between the cables stretched from either end rail of the bed.The hook F is provided with a turnbuckle for the purpose of adjustingthe tension of the cables. Where the hooks are not provided withturnbuckles, the tension may be adjusted by using hooks of differentlengths to increase or diminish the stretch of the cables, as required.

The chain E serves as a coupler when two or more of my supportingdevices are used on one bed, as shown in Fig. 1, and are adapted toconnectthe cable-hooks and prevent them from spreading laterally. It isprovided with a small hook e at either end, by which it may be connectedto the said cable-hooks at the part (1, as shown inFig.'1, or otherwise,or

together than the length of the chain will al- 'low the chain may belooped through the hooks andsecured by passing the hooks 6 through oneof its own links or by hooking them together, and in this manner thecablehooks may be coupled at any desired distance apart. I

a By the use of this device various advantages are obtained notheretofore secured by such reinforcing contrivances. One of theseadvantages is that the S-hook is very easily placed in position,requiring simply to be hooked into the loops 0 of the cable, and may beas easilyremoved therefrom, and'bytheir use the cables may befirstsecured at their ends to the frame of the bed-bottom and thenconnected by meansof thehook instead of passing them first through thecenter plate or other connecting medium and then securing their ends tothe frame, as has heretofore been the custom in themanufacture of thesebeds. This admits of the cables being more easily and uniformlystretched since it is difficult to secure the endsof the cable totheframe while under tension and a uniform stretching of the cables isnot always in this manner obtained. By measuring thelength of thecableto be usedfor' each V or loop, so that the desired amount ofstretching will be required to draw each pair together and secure themat the center of the bed by the hook an absolutely uniform tension maybe insured. The cables also being continuous from end to end and passingthrough and not terminating in the hook or link will have the tensiondistributed evenly throughout their entire lengths, and thus thestretching and consequent loosening of one diagonal length more thananother is prevented. When the cables become loosened, as theyinvariably do under long use, a ready means of tightening them isaiforded by the use of these hooks by replacing any given hook by one oflesser length, and thus drawing the points of the cable-loops nearertogethenand, again, by the use of the turnbuckle F (shown in Fig. 2) thetension of the cables may be easily increased or diminished to anyrequired extent to accommodate the weight of the person using the bed.The S-hooks having also a certain amount of' elasticity make the supportenwhen itis desired to couple these hooks closer tirely elastic from endto end of the bed.

The chain E is of advantage when used in connection with my support, asthe said support is adapted to be used for a full-sized bed and offersadvantages not heretofore se cured by these supporting devices, since byits use an extensive lateral adjustment of the support is allowed. Thisis of great advantage, inasmuch as the weight when one person only isoccupying the bed is generally entirely in the center, whereas whenoccupied by two persons the weight is disposed at either side thereof.By coupling the two hooks together with the link or chain E the supportis disposed entirely beneath the center, as shown by dotted lines onFig. 1, and an effective reinforcement for the fabric is provided whenthe bed is occupied byone person, while when the coupler is removed andthe supports disposed at either side of the bed it offers an effectivereinforcement for the fabric when the weight of two persons issuperimposed thereon. The total length of cable in both sides of each Vwill be the same when the hooks are drawn toward the center as when theyare disposed at either side, and the support will therefore remain in acentral position without the assistance of the link F or chain E. Thelink, however, I have found of value in preventing the hooks fromspreading when pressure is imposed upon the center of the bed.

I am aware that elastic cables have hereto fore been used as a supportfor a woven-wire bed-bottom, arranged in various ways, and that theyhave sometimes been stretched from the corners of the frame and securedat or near the center to a plate, cross-tie, or like device. I do notclaim this arrangement, broadly.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. In a bed'bottom the combination of a frame and anelastic fabric stretched thereon, and two or more endwise-clastic cablesdisposed beneath the fabric, and having their ends secured to the endrail, a hook at or near the center through which said cables pass and bymeans of which they are connected to each other; said hooks beinglengthwise adjustable and adapted to regulate the distance between theparts of the cables passing through it.

2. In a bed-bottom the combination of a frame and an elastic woven wirefabric stretched thereon, and a plurality of endwiseelastic cables; twoor more being secured to each end rail of the frame and connectedcentrally in pairs, extending from opposite end rails, and hooksconnecting said cables; said hooks being secured together by means of atransverse tie.

JAMES B. RYAN.

Vitnesses:

S. J. Cox, .'Ir., F, M. SENIOR.

